Sacré bleu! You and your amis can bag a free three-course meal at Brasserie Zédel

Bastille Day, famously, celebrates the day in 1789 on which the people of Paris stormed the Bastille and tore the symbol of royal authority asunder. In 2019, it will celebrate the day on which the people of London stormed Brasserie Zédel in fancy dress, ravenous for a free French meal.

At least, it usually would be. Brasserie Zédel’s Bastille Day celebrations, where customers in Breton and beret outfits are treated to a complimentary three-course meal with wine, have become legendary – so much so that, this year, places will be decided in a Wimbledon-style online ballot.

This democratic way of doing things apparently allows diners to ‘Manger pour la liberté,l’égalitéet la fraternité!’, so if you want to get involved, all you have to do is keep an eye on the Brasserie Zédel website for the ballot, which takes place between June 18 and June 21 and allows you to enter a request for a table of up to six people. Do not guillotine anyone if you’re not lucky enough to get in.

The Bastille Day celebrations at Brasserie Zédel will take place on July 14. It’s free if you’re successful in the ballot.

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Bobby Palmer is a Freelance writer who's been working with Time Out in London since 2018.

He's an expert at doing weird stuff around London, then writing about it. He's done inner-city beekeeping and bathed in red wine for Time Out, and has gone undercover for publications like Cosmo and ShortList as a club promoter, a globe-trotting Instagrammer and a male stripper. He can't burp.

Reach him at bobby.palmer@timeout.com or connect with him @thebobpalmer